The shares of Americans who trust each of the three branches of government are near five-decade lows, as opinions of the federal government grow more polarized.
Only 32% of US adults have a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in the legislative branch, according to new Gallup polling, while 41% say the same of the executive branch and 49% of the judicial branch. Meanwhile, 45% trust the federal government to handle international challenges, while only 38% trust the government to handle domestic issues.
While on par with readings from last year, when President Joe Biden was in office, partisans’ views shifted substantially with the change in party control. Republicans’ trust in the executive branch, for instance, increased 83 percentage points this year after President Donald Trump took office, while Democrats’ trust dropped 78 points and independents’ trust ticked up three points.